David Yankey doesn’t have the typical NFL background. His mother hails from Slovenia while his father was born in Ghana. Meanwhile, he was born in Australia. But regardless of his unique background, the offensive guard is the type of prospect teams looking to fortify the interior of their line will focus on.

At 6-6, 315-pounds, Yankey is blessed with an ideal build for a lineman. Strong and bulky, he engulfs defenders and doesn’t let up. Yankey is more known for his tremendous football IQ and grittiness than for sheer athleticism. Not only is he a true grinder who plays to the whistle, but the Stanford star is a respected leader who was named captain.

While he projects as an offensive guard, Yankey played pretty much everywhere in college save for center. In addition to playing both guard and tackle positions, he even lined up at tight end occasionally. Overall, he logged 40 career starts with 26 coming at guard and 14 at left tackle. He is also a two-time All-American and former Morris Trophy winner as the Pac-12’s top lineman.

Yankey has drawn numerous comparisons to New Orleans Saints guard Ben Grubbs due to both men’s massive size and dominance in the run game. As a result, Yankey could be one of the top offensive guards selected when the NFL Draft gets underway.